Ethology

Ethology is the scientific and objective study of animal behavior, usually with a focus on behavior under natural conditions, and viewing behavior as an evolutionarily adaptive trait. It is a branch of zoology, with a strong relation to other disciplines such as neuroanatomy, ecology, and evolutionary biology.

History

The term ethology is derived from the Greek word "ethos", meaning character or disposition. The field of ethology has its roots in the work of Charles Darwin and the understanding of the evolution of behavior. The modern discipline of ethology is generally considered to have begun during the 1930s with the work of Dutch biologist Nikolaas Tinbergen and by Austrian biologists Konrad Lorenz and Karl von Frisch.

Methodology

Ethologists typically observe animals in their natural environments, rather than in laboratories, and focus on specific behaviors, such as aggression, mating habits, or the ability to solve problems. They also look at how behaviors develop in animals and how they are transmitted from one generation to the next. Ethologists have been particularly concerned with the evolution of behavior and the understanding of behavior in terms of the theory of natural selection.

Key Concepts

Some key concepts studied in ethology include:

• Instinct: An innate behavior that is exhibited by all members of a species. The study of instinct is one of the key areas of ethology.
• Imprinting: A form of learning in which an animal, at a specific critical period of its life, forms a social bond with another organism, which it subsequently regards as an object of identification.
• Fixed action pattern: A sequence of unlearned acts that is essentially unchangeable and, once initiated, usually carried to completion.

See Also

• Animal Behavior
• Zoology
• Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology

External Links

• Britannica: Ethology
• ScienceDirect: Ethology

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